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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Celebrate the temporary but vivid community

11/3

It is Sunday morning. And we are gathered. Joey has brought
Rachel. And I’m happy to see Katherine from Bread
and Puppet here. It is, to say the least strange to be worshipping in the
midst of twenty foot puppets. I’m sure some of my colleagues who already don’t
understand me and us would find this proof that we had finally completely
wandered off the reservation.

We start with HAGGAI
1:15B-2:9. The lines 3Who is left among you that saw this house
in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as
nothing? 4 could so easily apply tothis
home of ours, this building. We know that these are the feelings of the people
when they returned from exile and found their temple in ruins. Like when we
came back from St. Paul and St. Andrews. For us, as for them, notmetaphor but an existential experience.Whenwe read 8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,
says the LORD of hosts. 9The latter splendor of this house shall be
greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give
prosperity, says the LORD of hosts, it tells us not to worry about the money. All that belongs to God. That if we are
seekingto be with God, the resources will follow. And that the best is yet to
come. So hard to believe sometimes. But
we have to keep that vision ahead of us.

When we read 2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-5, 13-17, we think about those who try
to make apocalyptic predictions. And how Martin Luther once said, if I knew that Jesus was coming tomorrow, I
would plant a tree today.

Finally, we read LUKE 20:27-38. We talk about the Sadducees. The doctors
of the law. Who are trying to trap Jesus with a reductio a absurdum argument.Using an extreme case of levirate
marriage. Where a brother is responsible for his widowed sister in law and
to keepingthe family name alive. This
goes on through seven brothers. That poor woman...As one of my colleagues said at our study last
Wednesday.

We talked about how Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. But
Pharisees ,andobviously Christians, did believe in the resurrection.

Jesus’ answer, as always, is a little hard to follow. But it’s clear that
he recognizes that the one who frames the question controls the discussion so
Jesus reframes and regains control. The Sadducees are asking the wrong
question. What happens on the other side takes care of itself. Our God is the
God of the living. And in his name-checking Moses and the burning bush, he’s saying those who have gone before are still alive.

I recall a Native American tradition that you are not really dead until
the last person no longer remembers you.

Somehow this leads to a discussion where serious questions are raised and
someone says that they are leaving the congregation because we don’t do enough programming, don’t work to
build the congregation, don’t….

I remain calm. And many around the circle answer, sharing their own
affirmations. Of what they stay. What this place means to them. One says
straight out, this place saved my life….

So we end up OK. We share a conversation about Advent and Christmas,
fully believing we will still be here. And then Session deals with strategy
related to our upcoming do or die presbytery meeting. And it truly is.

Late afternoon, I’ll go to Ansche
Hesed. Hope and I will participate in the faith community wide reflection
and action meeting on our experience with the SNAP (food stamps) challenge.

Then Beppe and I together will take in the Bread and Puppet production. It continues to evolve. I’m anxious to
hear what Beppe will say. He loves it. Feels it creates an alternative reality
that we can all enter into and explore. And he’s happy to meet Peter, feel his
energy, spirit. On the steps, Beppe again remarks on the amazing spirit of the
thing that happen here that he has experienced. It is a very special place. And
still always on the edge of going under.

I go upstairs to celebrate a birthday of one of the B&P
people. And everyone says goodbye to Mary who is leaving. And I celebrate this temporary but vivid community alive in our house….